Edmonton Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish was busy early at the 2013 NHL Draft, but the moves were less bold than many may have hoped for. Second round picks, as promised, were the currency of choice but rather than shoring up the Oilers in the short-term Mactavish opted to re-stock the team's supply of draft picks, which had been depleted entering the draft.

MacTavish pulled off a pair of trades, and while he failed to add NHL-ready talent to the Oilers he did manage to turn one second round draft pick into five selections in the two moves:

Edmonton traded their 37th overall pick to Los Angeles for the 57th, 88th and 96th picks

Edmonton then traded the 57th pick to St. Louis for the 83rd, 94th and 113th picks

All told, MacTavish sacrificed an early second round pick for selections at 83rd, 88th, 94th, 96th and 113th overall. Los Angeles picked Valentin Zykov; the Oilers instead took flyers on five different players:

Anton Slepyshev: A high-scoring Russian who was controversially passed over by everyone in 2012

Jackson Houck: A character player who led a weak Vancouver Giants team in scoring

Kyle Platzer: A defensive specialist buried on a strong London team

Aidan Muir: A 6'4" power forward playing midget hockey

The two trades do a pair of important things for the Oilers.

Firstly, Edmonton re-stocked what was a rather barren cupboard of picks. Thanks to trades with Dallas for Mark Fistric and Florida for Jerred Smithson, the Oilers didn't have a third or fourth round draft pick and without making trades would have come away with only six players; instead they sacrifice quality in Zykov in exchange for quantity. Given the boom-or-bust nature of the draft, it's understandable why the team would want as many choices as possible.

Secondly, all five players chosen with those picks are forwards. The Oilers have a pretty decent set of prospects on defence, but up front the development pipeline is getting pretty empty. This gives the team an opportunity to load up on players who can potentially play roles up front for Oklahoma and, in a few years, perhaps for Edmonton. It's obvious this was a position of need for the Oilers, and they've done their best to address it - with picks still to come, seven of their first eight selections (and all five acquired via trade) have been forwards, with first round pick Darnell Nurse the only exception.

For Oilers fans, it would have been nice to see the team improve in the short-term by adding NHL players, and the rumours of the team pursuing Cory Schneider and Braydon Coburn and Cal Clutterbuck and others won't move the dial forward on the team one inch. But it's also easy to see why Craig MacTavish made the choices he did, and his work on draft day did help address positions of organizational weakness.

Much more, however, will need to happen in the coming week or two.

Recently around the Nation Network

The big news of the day came, not from Edmonton, but rather from Vancouver, as their ongoing goaltending saga finally saw a significant shift. The Canucks opted to hang their hopes on the untradable Roberto Luongo, instead sending presumptive starter Cory Schneider to New Jersey in exchange for the ninth overall pick (which was used on centre Bo Horvat). At Canucks Army, Thomas Drance says he has conflicting thoughts on the process:

I'll admit that I'm of two minds about the deal that sent Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils straight up for the pick that became Bo Horvat. On the one hand, a top-ten pick in a deep draft is a solid return for an unproven starter. On the other, this was handled embarrassingly by the Canucks organization, the clubs overall indecision on this front is not a good look, and it ultimately worked out poorly for the club.

Click the link to read more, or alternately, feel free check out some of my other pieces here:

Jonathan Willis is a freelance writer.
He currently works for Oilers Nation, Sportsnet, the Edmonton Journal and Bleacher Report.
He's co-written three books and worked for myriad websites, including Grantland, ESPN, The Score, and Hockey Prospectus. He was previously the founder and managing editor of Copper & Blue.

Is there a trade freeze from now until the start of the season? From the way most people are over-reacting to the simple plan of not over-paying in trades, makes me think that today was the last ever time that this mgmt will be able to upgrade the team.

And then they took five bets on talented players instead of a 37th pick. I like this much more than the coke machine hunting expeditions of yore. Time will tell on how successful this strategy is, but at least they're looking at hockey players.

We still have the amnesty all-stars and UFA period. If you're going to over-pay, I'd rather do it with the Rexall chequing account than prospects.

I agree they are blowing the ELC's. Chicago figured it out once their core got paid. Theirs other ways of winning a cup then having studs on ELC. If the only blockbuster was overpaying for a good but not great goalie then pass. Something happened with Coburn. I think there is story to come out. Bolland wanted to go to TO, without him signed longer he went for what little they got. Clutterbuck, we got Snow'd, can't match that.. What else is was rumoured? Can't blame MacT for trying to make heaven and earth move, but remember what was said its hard to push a rock uphill. Best deal was the one not made. Tomorrows a new day.

Bob Mckenzie updated his draft list this this morning just before the draft.

He had Shinkaruk at 14.

Maybe it's just me, but I think Bob knows WAY more about draft picks than you do.

Would you disagree?

Are you saying he also knows more about draft picks than the management and scouting staffs of Columbus (who had 2 cracks at him and demurred), NY Islanders, Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose, Detroit, Toronto, Calgary, and Washington? Cuz they disagreed with him too.

Anyway, about that statement that Hunter Shinkaruk will have a more immediate impact than Darnell Nurse. Care to wager?

"Next up is the huge and rapidly improving Darnell Nurse, who is the most naturally physical defender available. He made good strides in his offensive game and has a" heavy shot" that is an asset on the power play. He likes to dish out punishment along the walls and easily separates his check from the puck. Nurse also scores off the charts in both his character and intelligence levels, and at a gangly 6-5, already has the footwork of a much smaller man."

MADJAM you are talking out both sides of your mouth. Weak shot hmm again you should be a scout .

Are you saying he also knows more about draft picks than the management and scouting staffs of Columbus (who had 2 cracks at him and demurred), NY Islanders, Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose, Detroit, Toronto, Calgary, and Washington? Cuz they disagreed with him too.

Anyway, about that statement that Hunter Shinkaruk will have a more immediate impact than Darnell Nurse. Care to wager?

Sure.

I'd wager Nurse spends another year in junior and then a season in the AHL.

Thats exactly what i was meaning myself bud...that if MacT did the type deal gillis demanded to the Oilers we would be just ripping the Oilers to shreds right now.

MacT and Stu went out instead and got some ten prospects with Nurse, Olivier Roy both very good for two to three yrs down the road as should be completely expected of prospects.

The cupboards are not bear with the system anymore since Tambellini had gotten rid of the several round picks for 2013 and one for 2014 all for virtually nothing (Smithson, Brown- at least he fights decently) beforehand to begin with.

Now the Oilers have quite type assets again. And...before too many bitch of MacT today... look at Feaster and Calgary leaving both Fucale and Shinkaruk available after 22nd to 28th overall anyways when they went off the Board a bit again to pick up Emile Poirer who was 2nd round rated..

Are you saying he also knows more about draft picks than the management and scouting staffs of Columbus (who had 2 cracks at him and demurred), NY Islanders, Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose, Detroit, Toronto, Calgary, and Washington? Cuz they disagreed with him too.

Anyway, about that statement that Hunter Shinkaruk will have a more immediate impact than Darnell Nurse. Care to wager?

Did MacT. make only one offer to Van. for Schneider and then never follow it up ? At some point if we are to get better we are going to have to pay the asking price on some of these trades . Clutterbuck we could have had , but Pitluck was really like throwing in nothing at his stage . In reality we were only offering a 2nd rounder and a suspect at best , as far as Minny was concernered . He is not even close to cracking our lineup , so why would anyone else want him ? We either start paying the price , or we'll remain a cellar club forever .

it's time to set the story full and straight on Schneider going to the Devils by the 9th pick....Gillis apparently told MacT he was demanding a first rounder (#7) second rounder (probably #56) and a top prospect...to give the Oilers the deal.

Way Too Much!!!! Now...Gillis first back stabs the Oilers by seeking just the 9th pick alone,.... then he looks even more stupid to Luongo (and the league)by trying to get rid of him all year, telling everyone Schneider's his guy all year, and now....Gillis has to go back and say I love ya Lou.... Thats a loser GM to me...not MacT who did not do this deal.

MacT still has lots to do and we all know it but there is a full summer ahead...and Fall.

He got Nurse who will be a good shot as a top 2 defender, by also being bigger, stronger, and meaner witin 2 yrs...he got a big Russian centre (Yakimov) who can play strong and aggressive and he knows Yakupov excellently, he got some decent type other prospects with Slepyshev being very intriguing and with a lot of potential.

Slepyshev was injured pretty good last yr from what I heard and thats why teams shied away plus his being Russian too probably added to this...

Slepy was supposedly the first overall pick in the KHL draft I think last year. I'm praying we got our Tarasanko or Kunutzov. Teams shied away last year because of his commitment to play in the KHL, worth a flyer. I say send a recruitment contigent of Oiler's led by Yakcity, Ebs, Hallsy, Schultz, and Baby Nuge, and Wayne Gretzky on the Katz plane with some Rexallbucks, the Octane girls, a video of New Orleans and mardi gras (tell them its edmonton) and wine and dine these Rooskies and bring the SHLEPPER over here.

Did MacT. make only one offer to Van. for Schneider and then never follow it up ? At some point if we are to get better we are going to have to pay the asking price on some of these trades . Clutterbuck we could have had , but Pitluck was really like throwing in nothing at his stage . In reality we were only offering a 2nd rounder and a suspect at best , as far as Minny was concernered . He is not even close to cracking our lineup , so why would anyone else want him ? We either start paying the price , or we'll remain a cellar club forever .

Valid point about the offer.......but I look at it this way.....it's a win-win for us....we didnt overpay for Clutterbuck like Snow did......and that menace is now out of our conference...

Slepy was supposedly the first overall pick in the KHL draft I think last year. I'm praying we got our Tarasanko or Kunutzov. Teams shied away last year because of his commitment to play in the KHL, worth a flyer. I say send a recruitment contigent of Oiler's led by Yakcity, Ebs, Hallsy, Schultz, and Baby Nuge, and Wayne Gretzky on the Katz plane with some Rexallbucks, the Octane girls, a video of New Orleans and mardi gras (tell them its edmonton) and wine and dine these Rooskies and bring the SHLEPPER over here.

......and let's not forget to send Mrs Eakins on that plane........Russian boys like western girls!

Ya....kinda makes me wonder if theGM Old Boys Club were intent on teaching the new kid on the block a lesson after all his public yapping about making 8 moves.....kinda making it look like the rest of these GMs just haven't been doing their jobs......

It makes me wonder if Homer, Gillis and Fletcher were just testing MacT to see if they could fleece him. But then again, the Oilers don't have the best record when it comes to free agency, so the trade market takes on some added significance. Hopefully he pulls something off in free agency.

I'm just dissapointed in myself for waisting countless hours reading rumors and posts suggesting moves to actually make the team better.

I am definately not looking forward to free agency talk on Oilersnation, what a waste of Time. I am getting used to this ridiculous feeling of disappointment from a team that does nothing but disappoint its fan base year after year.

Interesting Lowe did not appear to be there . One fan says Lowe and MacT. don't see eye to eye , and sensed Lowe preferred to keep Tambellini . I didn't notice it , but wonder if anyone else did at MacT. being the new GM ?

I'd wager Nurse spends another year in junior and then a season in the AHL.

I would expect Shinkaruk plays in the NHL much sooner.

That's a silly wager, imo. Even without looking at the players themselves, the skill sets of both players shows that a high-scoring forward makes the jump to the NHL quicker than a defenseman.

If you also look at the Oilers roster, it doesn't make any sense to rush Nurse into the lineup, regardless of how well he plays in training camp (with Klefbom & Belov in the wings and Schultz only having a half season on his resume).

That doesn't mean that Shinkaruk will have a better career or be more valuable in five years. Just that he'll probably make the NHL earlier than Nurse.

I agree they are blowing the ELC's. Chicago figured it out once their core got paid. Theirs other ways of winning a cup then having studs on ELC. If the only blockbuster was overpaying for a good but not great goalie then pass. Something happened with Coburn. I think there is story to come out. Bolland wanted to go to TO, without him signed longer he went for what little they got. Clutterbuck, we got Snow'd, can't match that.. What else is was rumoured? Can't blame MacT for trying to make heaven and earth move, but remember what was said its hard to push a rock uphill. Best deal was the one not made. Tomorrows a new day.

Your making excuses for a team that is wandering the desert.

Paajarvi is not an immediate upgrade to what NYI offdered?

You cant offer up the 7th overall for a ready NHL defensmen? I would think so.

you couldn't use your 2014 pick to aid in getting another player?

Bolland will go were Chicago trades him too. period!

The Oilers were not prepared to match simple as that!

Sorry, Tomorrow the same team will still be wandering in the desert, looking to now overpay a UFA.

P.S next years crop of UFA defensmen is also another reason today's pick was wasted.

Thanks for input on Slepyshev and I agree on sending that contigent to get the kid over here lol...

However, you are right in that this kid has very high end potential. I think as well that he will likely come here sooner from the KHL (unless his contract is over already) with the Oilers having Yakupov, then both Zharkov and Yakimov in the system.

Nurse with Klefbom, Petry, J. Schultz, Smid, maybe Velov, and then Fedun, Marancin, Gernat, Musil, Davidson, Simpson, etc, makes a great and strong defence core future for the Oilers. Fedun and Marancin are one yr away and Nurse may be ready in two...with the others.

Yes this future type defence is not an immediate one but very close nonetheless...and the Oilers are about two yrs away from going heavy into the playoff run anyways.

I know, I know... this depends on the top left wing position, a very good goalie, and the two better type needed centres with two more tough good wingers...but it is doable...

With every move Mike Gillis makes Mike Milbury breathes a sign of relief. Gillis passed up a more lucrative offer from Edmonton just so he wouldn't have to face Schneider in divisional play? First, Gillis is telling Luongo (and the rest of his team for that matter) that they aren't good enough to beat Schneider and quite frankly, it makes the whole organization look scared. Second, you pass up the opportunity to get additional assets! These two issues alone should have Gillis fired.

Interesting Lowe did not appear to be there . One fan says Lowe and MacT. don't see eye to eye , and sensed Lowe preferred to keep Tambellini . I didn't notice it , but wonder if anyone else did at MacT. being the new GM ?

Lol.. seriously your gonna throw a statement on here about the GM from what "one fan" said? I hope you are a teenager or younger cuz thats the only excuse for this post.

Are you saying he also knows more about draft picks than the management and scouting staffs of Columbus (who had 2 cracks at him and demurred), NY Islanders, Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose, Detroit, Toronto, Calgary, and Washington? Cuz they disagreed with him too.

Anyway, about that statement that Hunter Shinkaruk will have a more immediate impact than Darnell Nurse. Care to wager?

I'd be careful on this one... 'more of an immediate impact' is pretty subjective.

Shinkaruk could crack the line up a year earlier than nurse and post 30 pts, but Nurse could come in the following year and be more valuable every single year afterwards but you'd still lose the bet.

You cant offer up the 7th overall for a ready NHL defensmen? I would think so.

you couldn't use your 2014 pick to aid in getting another player?

Bolland will go were Chicago trades him too. period!

The Oilers were not prepared to match simple as that!

Sorry, Tomorrow the same team will still be wandering in the desert, looking to now overpay a UFA.

P.S next years crop of UFA defensmen is also another reason today's pick was wasted.

No way, we are fine, Nurse will likely crack the line up in 2015-16 or 2014-15 and be a #1-2 d man by the time Ebs is 28... oh wait.. there goes 5 years. Damn, should have thought that one through.

Which ready NHL defenseman would you want in exchange for a D.Nurse+X package?

Phaneuf? Letang? Yandle? Ehrhoff? Edler? Who else is even potentially available? and really, what are the odds any of those gm's pull the trigger on a deal like that?

Today was going to be a loss for MacT no matter what. If Schneider is costing a top 10 pick, and clutterbuck is costing a fairly high level prospect, I don't even want to knwo what a ready #2-3 dman would cost.

@madjam...come on bud...if you are gonna put that out about Lowe against MacT watch the draft again cause Lowe was right next to MacT and Howson shaking hands with the Nurse family....Geez!!!

I can't believe the gall of Gillis telling the vancouver news that we made the Schneider deal with N.J to get into the top 10 for Horvat when he was advising to MacT to give him the #7, a 2nd rounder and an NHL roster player...of which...MacT was willing to give apparently (according to reporters).

Hope Luongo says I demand to get out of Vancouver with Gillis still here!!!!!

Awesome that MacT kept the pick to get a future high ended type top 2 defender named Darnell Nurse instead... without throwing away a 2nd rounder which also helped fill the prospect system with 5 more picks...

On top of that suggesting Lowe wanted to keep Steve Tambellini is a bigger joke than the one about "second rounders are the currency for trade" one we heard all week... What's the currency, second rounders for third and fourth rounders nice currency rate.

Why would Lowe want to keep Steve Tambellini who was possibly the worst GM in NHL history. His team record under his management has to be the lowest winning percentage for any GM in any sport in history.

Now MacT says he isnt as optomistic anything major will take Place. What's the point of even having a gm in Edmonton, Stu M makes the picks every year and no trades take place. The team has been rebuilding for 7 years.

When you make an attempt to sign a free agent and they say no, that doesn't mean you aren't rebuilding. When you trade players for picks for 7 years in a row you are in an infini- build. The never ending rebuild continues.

"My favorite OHL prospect as his potential going forward is through the roof. He is a strong physical player that is able to throw his weight around and make a big impact despite still being on the wiry side. Just wait until he gains another thirty pounds of muscle, with the aggressiveness and meanness he exhibits, he could be a true monster. Nurse skates very well for his size and has some intriguing offensive tools to continue developing as he becomes that strong two-way presence. An injury to his finger, picked up towards the end of the year, left him with a torn tendon that had to be surgically repaired causing him to miss the U18’s in Sochi, Russia and the NHL Combine fitness testing. That alone speaks volumes to how determined and gritty this kid is, as his play did not suffer one bit even with a difficult injury like this to play through. I feel he has top pairing potential with NHL All-Star upside." - Dan Stewart

" Gillis was advising MacT to give him the #7, a 2nd rounder and an NHL roster player...of which...MacT was willing to give apparently (according to reporters)."

link?? I saw Rishaug tweet that the price was too high for the Oil, but nothing about us offering #7, a 2nd rounder and a roster player, hard to believe gillis would turn that down just to avoid having schneider in the same division.

Nurse has some upside, and it’s encouraging 65% of his offence was at EV. He was also getting 2nd PP minutes, and playing the tough comp. He’s a guy I can see who takes the next step, especially with the physical genes and workout commitments. Internal motivation and character isn’t something that’s in everyone.

Think about that for a secon, Gillis just did the Oilers a massive favour by not doing that deal.

You just sent the 7th, plus prospect (Paajarvi) and the second for TWO years of Schneider!!!!

That would have been bar none the worst draft in Oilers history right there!

If it wasn't for Gillis, the dumbest GM in the league would have been MacTavish!

Undisputed worse GM if that trade went down, I wouldn't be talking about Gillis, he did MacTavish a favor.....again!

Mac T didn't give Gillis what he was asking for and therefore Gillis did the deal with Jersey. Mac T was the smart one in not making the deal. Gillis had no options left at that point. Didn't inform Loungo, didnt inform Schneider, had the owner drive to Louongos house to give him the news. Real class act. Tells the world he is trading Louongo all year and then stabs him and Schneider in the back with one move for a draft pick no less.

Lets not start comparing GM's as I am sure Gillis is gone after the smoke clears from this fiasco.

You really think Louongo is still going to play there after all this? Vancouver is going to quickly have zero NHL tenders. Hope Lack can carry the load.

I realize Nurse will probably play another year in junior and one year in the Ahl before he cracks the oilers' lineup... but a small fraction of optimism tells me that maybe, just maybe, he can beat the odds this off season and play his way on to the team as an 18-19 yr old. I just hope he doesn't get put on the roster unless he show's he is 100% ready.

About what Gillis wanted from Edmonton and the given reporter's stated type Oilers offer to Vancouver so as yo make the deal,... I read in the Vancouver Sun and Province Sports section tonight...just to see what Gillis had to say.

They seemingly insinuated the possible wants from Gillis/Oilers offer was inferred by TSN/sportsnet...

To me...the #7 pick is higher than #9 alone...along with a 2nd rounder being even more than N.J offer too...unless Gillis can't count...

DSF,
Remember how Florida was going to draft Drouin? And it was "booked"...
Looks like Drouin wasn't even their second choice. :(
I just wanted to remind you of you're amazing hockey knowledge and how valuable your insight is! You keep us on our toes and laughing! :D

Penner has done nothing since we ditched that waste of space with the so called good corsi numbers. He scored one good playoff goal for LA and has otherwise been slowly turning into a giant bag of milk.

Klefbom will show us this year if we won the deal or not.

Ryan smyth for Colin fraser... although it's not really significant, and it's barely even a win.

you want to watch the draft all over again be my guest, Once was painful enough for me.

Guess I missed it. I saw Rishaug say that the price was too high for the Oilers and that they were out. I'll take your word for it, although it is hard to believe a) that MacT would make such a ridiculous offer and B) that Gillis would turn it down. ... or is it.

Mac T didn't give Gillis what he was asking for and therefore Gillis did the deal with Jersey. Mac T was the smart one in not making the deal. Gillis had no options left at that point. Didn't inform Loungo, didnt inform Schneider, had the owner drive to Louongos house to give him the news. Real class act. Tells the world he is trading Louongo all year and then stabs him and Schneider in the back with one move for a draft pick no less.

Lets not start comparing GM's as I am sure Gillis is gone after the smoke clears from this fiasco.

You really think Louongo is still going to play there after all this? Vancouver is going to quickly have zero NHL tenders. Hope Lack can carry the load.

As I said above re-watch the draft, the Oilers are stunned sitting there as the trade goes down.

The Oilers offered the 7th, a prospect and a second, all confirmed by TSN and above said insiders.

Gillis didn't want Schneider in the same conference.

As for why Gillis traded a goalie he had to make a decision.

Oh, if you have two elite goalies and you have to trade one, that's called assets, That's a good position to be in!!

Had Gillis accepted the deal with the Oilers, MacTavish would look like a fool right now.

Guess I missed it. I saw Rishaug say that the price was too high for the Oilers and that they were out. I'll take your word for it, although it is hard to believe a) that MacT would make such a ridiculous offer and B) that Gillis would turn it down. ... or is it.

I wouldn't have made the deal, that's my point, the fact the Oilers did is whats outstanding!

Had Gillis made that trade the Oilers would be sitting with a goalie who in two years could fly the coup.

I'm not kidding, they go crazy for about three minutes explaining how the Oilers proposal was superior to NJ.

Gillis just didn't want Schneider in the same conference or Schneider knew about the deal and nixed it.

I could see Schneider nixing it, but if Gillis said no because he was worried about having schneider in the same div for 2 seasons? hah, he's dumber than MacT. It just makes no sense for Gillis to turn down that offer when your division rivals already have a goalie with a .920 sv% and they are asking for one with a .927 sv%.

gillis would be upgrading his division rival's sv% by .006 points for two years in exchange for #7,#37, and a roster player.

IMO, unless Schneider nixed the deal, Gillis is the bigger fool. By a hair.